ryuu seika
Smash Master
Here are the first nine chapters of my fan story.
It was originally posted on the official Tales Series forums where it probably makes more sense to place it but I do not believe you need any real understanding of the games that inspired it to enjoy the story. Plus, I really don't like the crowd there.
[COLLAPSE="Chapter 1"]A pink glow.
He looked to the right. He looked to the left. All around was darkness save for that strange light infront of him. It felt soft and calming, despite the blinding intensity, and it seemed to be telling him something. Words, not heard but felt. "Wake up," they said and when the message sunk in, that was what he did.
"Thank goodness you're alright!"
This voice came from a girl. A companion of his. Her name was- wait, what was her name? He had no idea. Infact, there was little he could remember. "I was beginning to think you might not make it," she added. He didn't know what to say to this so he simply stood up in silence. From the look she gave him, it was clear that this wasn't the right response though. "Thanks," was all the reply he could manage at first but he quickly tacked on an "I'm fine now" for good measure.
With no memory of their time together, there was no way he could come up with anything more convincing. Fortunately for him, the awkward moment was cut short by the timely appearance of a monster from the bushes. Wait, a monster?! How was that good news? It was only a wolf. Little challenge at all for a skilled fighter but was he such a person?
Noticing his blank stare, the girl turned her head to speak to him. "What's the matter? Lost the will to fight?" Despite the mocking tone, her words hid real concern and the weight of the suggestion hit him hard. "N-no! I can fight!" He said without thinking. Of course he couldn't. Not in this state. For some reason though, he just couldn't tell her that. Who was this girl to him?
He quickly searched himself for a weapon. If he was a fighter he had to carry one surely? Seeing his struggle, she leapt to the most obvious conclusion, "Oh, you lost your sword when we fell from the tower? Don't worry, I can take care of this wimp all by myself!"
He was relieved by her confidence and interested in seeing her fight but his mind had other plans for him. At her words, memories came unbidden and he quickly lost touch with the world around him. He was falling. Air rushed past him. He could feel his hair caught in the breeze and his sword in his hand. His sword? It felt solid and metallic but there was no sign of any substance beneath its intense white light. As he neared the ground it seemed to fade before his eyes, taking on an almost ethereal feel. Suddenly, it shattered into shards of light, floating away on a wind that didn't match his motion. And finally, he hit. Everything went black. The pure dark black of nothingness surrounded him. It felt as if he'd lost contact with the physical world. Been engulfed by darkness and passed away. Was this what death was like?
Then things changed. The darkness parted from infront of him to reveal that same pink light. Calling him back. Back to reality.
She was standing infront of him when he finally regained awareness of his surrounding. "We'd better go look for that weapon of yours then Shiro," she suggested, annoyance at his daydreaming obvious in her speech.
Was that his name? It seemed unlikely. 'Shiro' was hardly a fitting name for a swordsman. It seemed too peaceful. Maybe it was short for something. He answered her bluntly, telling her all he knew.
"That won't help," was his reply, "it didn't fall, it vanished."
What this meant he wasn't certain but one thing was for sure, he wouldn't find it back there. They walked on towards a nearby village, her not willing to speak to him and him not knowing what to say to her. The silence was awkward but so was finding the words. Their journey continued this way for some time, until someone confronted them.
"Hey, Shiro, Arla."
Clearly that was his name but who was this guy?
"Ah, Yami, long time no see."
The guy was shady looking and no mistake but if she, Arla, trusted him, he clearly didn't pose any immediate threat. It would be best if he went along with things for now.
Yami was tall and skinny, almost snake like, with green eyes that sunk into his face, all squarish and shifty. His hair had no colour but nor was it grey. Rather, it was a pure white with streaks of black near the ends. How they had ever come to call someone who looked that untrustworthy a friend Shiro couldn't begin to imagine.
"What's up with Shiro?" the guy asked, smirking somewhat evilly.
"I'm not quite sure," Arla told him, "he's been like this since we were knocked from the tower. Perhaps it's merely the shock of losing the blessings he worked so hard to acquire."
"I see. So our friend here nolonger wields the holy blade." Yami laughed. Was his former companion really that pathetic? "That suits me just fine!"
Arla and Shiro looked on in shock and horror as the grin extended out past his face and the darkness of the abyss showed between his teeth. Black wings, radiating an evil energy like nothing Shiro had felt before, unfolded from Yami's shoulders and a sword, not unlike his own, materialised in the demon's grasp. For that is what Yami had become, his soul tainted black and his body nothing more than a shadow of his human past.
Shiro tried to defend himself, as there was no way he could run from the one person he could trust but, without a weapon, he was powerless. He went down with a single blow, falling into the depths of that internal void once more.
Everything was black.[/COLLAPSE]
[COLLAPSE="Chapter 2"]White.
It wasn't all black after all. A faint white light surrounded him, holding back the darkness. Faint and growing fainter all the time. Soon, or perhaps not so soon, his sense of time didn't work in this strange dimension, it would all be gone. And what would happen to him then? Was this void to be the end of him or would he simply wake up from it? Shiro had no way of knowing and, to be honest, he wasn't sure he wanted to know the fate that lay before him.
Whatever fate the darkness held in store, it was not to be. Not this time, anyway. The light burst out around him suddenly and Shiro found himself in the spare bed of someone's house.
Presumably he was now safely in the village. He hated to think what might have become of Arla but there was no point worrying about that now. First things first, he had to find a weapon and get out of here, making sure to thank the people that took care of him of course.
"Oh, you're up," exclaimed a man as he entered the room, "I'd almost given up hope." "My son tells me your the legendary 'Shiro'. If you're feeling up to it, you probably aught to go see him. Nuay's a big fan of yours and he'll only give you trouble if you don't"
"Legendary? You mean people know me in these parts?" Shiro leapt at the thought. Maybe one of the villagers could help him regain his memory.
"Yeah, you're that crazy guy climbing Holy Spire right?" the guy answered, dashing Shiro's hopes in an instant. "I tell you, you'll never make it, that thing goes up past the clouds even!"
It must have been some fall for them then. Shiro was hardly surprised he'd passed out from that but how had Arla come off so well? And thinking about it, why weren't they dead?
"Oh, I made it alright," Shiro told the man, suddenly feeling very proud of himself, "survived the fall back down aswell!"
And with these words he got up and left. Locating Nuay was a breeze. He'd never met anyone that noisy before in his life! Even without his memory, Shiro was sure of it.
As his father had said, the boy, clearly no older than ten, was definitely pleased to see him. "I knew you'd pull through Shiro, true heroes never die! How about some practice? I've studied all your moves!"
Flattered as he was, Shiro was more than a little taken aback by the lad's extreme eagerness. Still, if the boy knew him as well as he claimed, this was Shiro's best hope of recovery. He couldn't afford to turn down Nuay's offer. "Alright kid, you got a spare sword?" he inquired, "go a bit easy on me though, I've only just recovered and my head's still not quite right."
The boy's excitement was plain to see as tossed over the wooden katana. It soon faded however as, after flooring Shiro more than few times, he realised his hero wasn't all he'd hoped for.
"Come on, you can do better than that!" Nuay complained as he helped him up yet again, "put some effort into it!"
Shiro was beginning understand the basics of the moves but the kid's sweeping strikes and bizarre swordplay style just didn't make sense. What was the point when a quick jab would suffice? Had that really been how he had fought or was this kid exaggerating the attacks for show?
Hours later, when Shiro was worn out and sore all over, Nuay's father called them in for their evening meal. The dinnertime conversation was kept to a minimum and what was said was somewhat uninspired. The two boys were too tired to talk and it seemed the man of the house wasn't the type to enjoy idle chitchat either. His wife didn't join them at the table but Shiro didn't want to bring up painful memories if the woman had long since left their world so he didn't ask why.
Mealtime soon came to an end, leaving Shiro to make his gratitude known once more before hurriedly turning in for the night.[/COLLAPSE]
[COLLAPSE="Chapter 3"] Grey.
The sky was grey and foreboding as Shiro left the house.
A week had past since he'd first began training with Nuay and he'd learnt all that he could from the lad. Now that Shiro had fully recovered, Nuay's father had sent him shopping. Shiro wasn't exactly happy with the idea but he knew it was only fair that he earn his keep. After all, it wasn't really that big a deal.
As he walked out the garden and down towards the market place, Shiro couldn't help noticing the people around him. There was a fair bit of variety among them and for the first time since his recovery, Shiro began to wonder what he looked like.
The skin on his arm didn't glow in the rain so he clearly wasn't one of the sea people and it's pale peachy colour meant he wasn't from the stars either. His lack of fur or scales made it pretty obvious that he wasn't a child of the forest and his height was not that of the men of stone. He reached up to his ears and felt that they were round. He was not a descendant of the old race, he was a human.
For some reason, Shiro seemed pleased to discover this. He didn't really understand why. It meant he possessed neither might nor magic and lacked both the skill of the craftsmen and the telepathy of the celestials. There was no real advantage to being human but it did mean his race was shared with that of his companions, both old and new.
Speaking of companions, he had to find out what had happened to Arla. As soon as he knew where to look, he'd head off. For now, he was stuck in Nuay's house. It was a big world out there and it wouldn't help anyone if he got lost. Maybe one of the villagers would have some idea as to where she was likely to turn up.
The sky darkened as he went. Shiro hoped that it was merely the begging of a lightning storm but dark magic often had similar effects on the weather.
By this point he was some distance from the house. He would have a lot more chance of finding shelter in time if he made a quick dash for the marketplace. Shiro sped up his walking pace and soon reached the first of the stalls. Oddly there was no sign of lightning yet. Infact, there wasn't even any sign of the rain from before. All was quiet. The silence before the storm.
Well, if he was going to be out in a storm, atleast the grocery stall would provide shelter for him.
Shiro got to work picking out the vegetables Nuay's dad had ordered and reached into his pocket for the money. He paid the stall owner only to drop his purchase all over the ground as a voice from behind Startled him.
"Heheheh, I see you've grown careless, old friend."
It was Yami and he looked as if the darkness tainting him had grown even stronger than before.
Shiro whipped out his wooden blade, ignoring the food at his feet. He had no time for that now as Yami's dark sword was already raised to strike. This was it. It was time for Nuay's teachings to be put to the test.
Yami cackled his demonic laugh as the two traded blows, the seller looking on in horror all the while. After a few minutes, however, Shiro's sword began to crack and it was only moments before it became completely unusable. Yami stood over him, half gloating and half preparing for the final blow. The darkness seemed to seep from the air and into his blade. This was it.
Shiro's end was at hand.[/COLLAPSE]
[COLLAPSE="Chapter 4"]The darkness shattered around him and Shiro climbed to his feet, somewhat confused as to what had just happened. As he did so, a voice seemed to echo from every corner of the marketplace with no discernible source.
"So, you've come here looking for a fight have you? Well then, you'd better be prepared to fight me!"
As the last threads of that hateful black mist dissipated and the despair faded from his mind, Shiro noticed that one of Yami's wings was missing, a few small black tatters still hanging at his side. In the space it should have been stood a man, or atleast Shiro assumed it was a man. He(?) was so covered in armour that not even an inch of the person within was visible.
"What will it be then, foul demon? Prepared to meet your end?"
The voice rang out again and as it did so, Yami vanished, simply dissolving into the air. It had to have come from the armoured person as there was no one else but him in the marketplace. All the stall holders had closed up shop and fled during the fight.
Maybe it was just the armour that caused that strange echo or maybe there was more to it. Either way, the voice began to speak oncemore, this time to him.
"Shiro, I presume? I've waited a long time for our meeting."
"I don't mean to be ungrateful," Shiro responded, "but who are you and how do you know me?"
"Who I am is not important," the stranger's voice echoed back at him, "but if you seek a name for me, I am known round here as Aeon."
Shiro took a moment to think about how he should respond to this and came up blank. There were questions he needed to ask this 'Aeon', that much was clear, but he couldn't for the life of him think what they might be. Finally, the armoured man broke the silence.
"You should probably be heading back now, I expect they'll be worried about you," he said, before hastily adding on an invitation for another meeting, "When you can, meet me by the woods at the edge of the village."
Shiro agreed to meet Aeon there and thanked him for his help. He had no idea what Aeon might want with him and was still somewhat confused as to how this man new as much about him as he did but the guy would hardly have gone out of his way to save him if he'd wished him harm now would he?
And so Shiro headed back to Nuay's little hut.
Without the shopping.[/COLLAPSE]
[COLLAPSE="Chapter 5"]It took some time for Shiro to explain the mishap with the groceries and even longer for him to convince Nuay's dad to let him head out again.
It was around noon by the time he reached the meeting point and the midday sun reflected painfully off of Aeon's armour. This was weird. No time had been specified and yet the man was there, waiting for him as he arrived.
"Have you been stood here all morning on the off chance I'd show up?" Shiro inquired.
"Time is of no importance to me."
This was clearly a yes, if a strange one. He pondered over the exact meaning of the reply while he waited for Aeon to explain why he'd called him here. He waited for some time but no answer was forthcoming. Finally, growing rather impatient, Shiro decided he aught to speak up.
"You may have all day but I don't. What do you want with me?"
Aeon's reply was short and simple.
"It is more about what you want from me," he said, quickly adding in more detail, "I know the whereabouts of your friend, and a lot more besides." "First, however, you must prove to me that you can survive on your own."
So it was a fight he wanted? Why didn't he just say so?
"Lend me a sword and I'll more than prove my worth!"
Aeon led Shiro through the trees to a small clearing with an old, rusted sword embedded in the ground at its centre, moss and vines entwined about its base. The light was dim but the occasional flicker of sun through the trees still meant that Shiro's latest sparring partner shone brighter than he would have liked.
"There lies your weapon. It has waited many years for a worthy wielder and is rather the worse for wear," Aeon announced, in that otherworldly voice of his, "never the less, it shall serve more than adequately for your trial. I wouldn't recommend you keep it waiting much longer."
Without further prompting, Shiro drew the blade from its resting place and Aeon immediately turned on him. While Shiro had been prepared for the fight, such an unexpected opening still caught him off guard. He barely managed to raise his sword in time.
Despite his initial troubles and difficulty seeing his opponent's sword, Shiro soon recovered and they began trading blows. At this point neither of them could land a hit. Their strikes were well matched and cancelled out eachother perfectly. Noticing this, Aeon turned slightly to the side, reflecting a sunbeam right into Shiro's eyes. It was a dirty trick, he knew, but he had to be sure the kid was ready for anything and so he used the opening to step forward into a powerful jab attack. The words "Sonic Thrust" echoed through the forest as he knocked his pupil back. Shiro, in his moment of blindness, instinctively raised his sword for defence. It was thanks to this alone that he remained in the battle.
Sent flying through the air by the force of Aeon's attack, Shiro flipped himself upright just in time to land on his feet, cursing his foe as he did so. Clearly this battle wasn't restricted to the rules of fair play but he wasn't prepared to give up on honour just yet. No, he would beat this 'Aeon' and he would do it his way!
Shiro swept his sword through the dirt infront of him, building up force before letting go of a burst of energy, shot along the ground. "Demon Fang!"
Aeon sidestepped easily and mirrored this motion, so far as Shiro could tell anyway, calling his version "Psion Bolt".
There was something up with it though as the projectile energy simply vanished the instant it left his blade. Moments later, Shiro found out what as it hit him from behind and sent him to his knees.
Once again, Aeon took advantage of the moment of weakness, charging up to his opponent for another attack, this time only getting out a "Swor-" before Shiro countered with his "Tiger Blade", slashing up into the air and back down, without Nuay's little sword toss. That was simply impractical.
It broke through the first hit, took him over the top of several more and finally knocked the last hit straight downwards and into the ground. Rather impressive, even if he did say so himself.
This wasn't the end though, far from it. Aeon wasn't going to let him have an opening that easily. Aeon's sword began to glow white, finally becoming visible. Then the ground around it joined in.
Shiro jumped back quickly and just in time. A second later, the glow had spread out to form a barrier of light, covering the entire width of the glade.
"Backing off? I thought you were a warrior?"
Not succumbing to Aeon's taunts, despite his annoyance at the man's cheap tactics, he held his ground. Shiro tried his "Demon Fang" move oncemore but, while the sword held Aeon in place, the missile could not penetrate the barrier. It seemed he'd have to play into Aeon's hand and approach.
Shiro backed up a bit and ran at the foe. He needed speed for this to work. Within a few feet of the light wall, he leapt into the air and began the flurry of kicks that made up his "Swallow Dance".
Aeon saw this coming, raising his sword into the air, catching Shiro's final downward thrust as he did so and flipping the poor trainee onto his back infront of him. He hated doing this to Shiro and intentionally missed the second hit of his "Tiger Blade" but he knew it was for the kid's own good.
Shiro, on the other hand, didn't and arose right into another glowing wall. The force of that magical light was incredibly painful. Even though it left no mark, it felt like a thousand paper cuts, all happening simultaneously.
Shiro fell to the floor unconscious.
[/COLLAPSE]
[COLLAPSE="Chapter 6"]Shiro had been gone a long time and Nuay was worried. He grabbed the wooden training blade he kept by his bed and snuck off. Logic told him he'd never get anywhere without a real weapon but he'd never listened to reason before, why start now?
He ran all through the village, straight to the wooded outskirts where he knew his hero had been headed. At this point he realised that, not only did he have no idea where in the woods Shiro actually went, but he was rather out of breath to boot. Still, he had to keep going. For Shiro's sake.
Elsewhere, still in the clearing, the object of Nuay's concern was finally beginning to rise. He ached all over. It was a struggle just to stand.
Little by little, his vision started to clear. After that, it didn't take long for him to make sense of the large, silvered shape infront of him. Aeon had been watching him all this time.
AEON!
That <word here>! Everything that had happened up till now was his fault, Shiro was sure of it.
Suddenly and without warning, a burning pain shot through Shiro's mind, cutting off all thought and forcing him to his knees, head in hands. It quickly passed but the damage was done.
When Shiro got to his feet, he took his hands from his face, spreading a thick, dark mist into the air.
Aeon knew this fog well. It was the darkness that had enveloped Yami and now it was taking Shiro too? No, this couldn't be right. He knew how events were supposed to unwind. This never happened.
Even more worryingly, while it was hard to see through the mist, that red glow looked to be coming from his eyes.
"You <word here>! I won't be a part of your messed up games any longer!" Shiro shouted, lunging at his perceived foe with a sword that seemed to come from nowhere.
Still lost in the woods, Nuay wasn't making even the slightest progress in his search. It felt as if he'd been going round in circles for hours. He was tired and hungry and he could have sworn that tree was watching him. He wanted nothing more than to leave this place but nolonger even knew the way out.
There was nothing for it. Nuay's father had made it very clear that the wild ways were forbidden but there was little else he could do.
He called out in a tongue that few humans could comprehend and was quickly answered. Bounding through the trees came what he knew to be every lost adventure's best friend: a helpful little bush-baby.
At the young boy's request, the little creature hopped off through the wood, leading the way for him. It was hard work following it, what with Nuay being a lot larger, but he managed to keep up. Soon the forest began to thin and, just as it looked as if he was getting somewhere, the trees really did grow faces to stare at him disapprovingly.
"This is a sacred place."
"Wanderers are not welcome here."
Nuay could hear the clash of blades in the distance now and wasn't going to be dissuaded by these dryads, or whatever they were, no matter how frightened the bush-baby was. "I'm seeking a friend," he explained, "I don't know who or what you are but I haven't got time to waste on your warnings."
"A pity," came the reply, "one so young as yourself shouldn't throw their life away so easily."
And before he knew it, Nuay was surrounded by malicious spirits.
He drew his sword and clashed blades with them for a while. These clearly weren't trained swordsmen, even he could keep up with them.
"I told you, I don't have time for this," Nuay exclaimed, stabbing his sword straight through one of the spectres.
"Foolish mortal, we are not of the flesh like you."
"You cannot harm us."
"So what's to stop me doing this?" he asked, running straight through the masses of them. The answer to his question came quickly though. The harder he tried to get past, the more solid they became and the weaker he felt. His vision began to fade.
Finally, he fell to the ground, a pale, lifeless husk.
Back in the glade, Shiro and Aeon's battle was still raging on.
Fed up of merely trading blows, Shiro turned to artes in the hopes of ending things quickly. "Demon Fang," he yelled.
Something was up, Aeon knew it. Noone in their right mind would use that move up close. Unless...
He moved his sword up just in time to meet a wave of darkness, the resonance from which left him temporarily stunned.
"Sonic Thrust," Aeon's armour withstood the attack but again, he was unprepared for the dark force behind Shiro's assault and had to fall into a crouch to minimise the impact. Was that a skull he saw just then?
"And now, you end here!" Shiro announced, jumping into the air, sword raised for attack.
But Aeon wasn't going out so easily, oh no. "Ancient spirits, rid this place of darkness. Aegis Wall!" was the incantation accompanying his last attempt at survival. Again, he thrust his sword into the ground. Again, the holy light shot out. But it was no match for Shiro's new-found strength. The darkness consuming him tore straight through the wall, straight through his armour and right into Aeon's very being. He began to dissolve from the inside out.
But, this couldn't be. He was eternal. His existence transcended the confines of mortality. He wasn't even truly alive.
And so he faded away. Not into the nothingness that Shiro had intended but backwards in time instead. After all, he was in all times at once, a little trickery wasn't beyond his ability.[/COLLAPSE]
[COLLAPSE="Chapter 7"]Shiro had been gone a long time and Nuay was worried. He grabbed the wooden training blade he kept by his bed and snuck off. Logic told him he'd never get anywhere without a real weapon but he'd never listened to reason before, why start now?
He ran towards the woodland at the outskirts of the village but didn't get far before an armoured figure appeared before him.
AEON!
That <word here>! What had he done with Shiro?
"Fear not youngling, your idol is safe, for now atleast," came his ethereal voice, "but his future rests in your hands."
"No!" came the boy's response, "I will not let you take me aswell!" and he struck out at his perceived foe. "Demonic Tiger Blade!"
Aeon blocked the shockwave with ease and simply watched as Nuay's flashy swordwork failed to even come close.
"I have no time for this. Megasonic Thrust, Outburst, Yggdrassil Laser."
And it was over as quickly as that. In an instant, Aeon was behind the kid, sword catching him off guard and off balance during his landing, blasting him off the ground with an energy burst and launching him into a nearby building with the force of his final strike.
"Do you not understand? I could end your fleeting existence here if I so wished but Shiro's life hangs in the balance and even I cannot save him alone."
Begrudgingly, Nuay took the extended gauntlet and let the man help him up.
"Don't think this means I trust you."
"Your trust is not required, merely your cooperation."
Still in the clearing, Shiro was finally beginning to rise. Like his young fan, he ached all over. It was a struggle just to stand.
Little by little, his vision started to clear and after that, the memories came flooding back. Aeon had lured him into the woods and beaten him to a pulp. Yet, here he stood, not a scratch on him? What, was he not good enough for that masked madman? Was that it? Well Shiro would show him! Aeon would regret ever leaving him alive!
"AEON!!!!!"
That voice, echoing through the trees, held a great sense of relief for Nuay but in the warrior who carried him it invoked very different emotion. A combination of pity for the pure spirited teen and fear for what his corruption meant for the world.
Armour clanking as he ran, Aeon made his way through the woods at utmost speed, shaking his poor burden more than was fair but such things were secondary now, Shiro's madness had to be stopped at all costs. He barely even slowed to wave off the souls of the dead who protected the sacred grove.
They were there. Before them stood the fallen hero, hair held upwards by the black mist that flowed from all around him and eyes glowing red behind the darkness.
When Shiro got to his feet, he took his hands from his face, spreading dark mist into the air as he did so.
Before the obsidian blade could strike, Aeon set his companion down beside him.
"While his voice may be the same, this is not the Shiro you know. He has been taken by darkness, there is no reasoning with him."
And, as if on cue, the darkling infront of them lashed out.
"Ravaging Tiger!"
Distracted by his speech to Nuay, the eternal warrior was pushed back by the attack, though his armour held.
"Tiger Blade," came the little kid's eager response. He jumped into the air, his practice sword dragging him upward and missing the attacker entirely. The wood flew from his hands and twirled end over end while Nuay seemed to hover in place above the battlefield.
"Sonic Thrust," continued the impure saviour, lunging into that sorrowful Demon Attack Aeon had seen before. This time, however, no contact was made. The arte ended abruptly as the third combatant's strike landed across the back of Shiro's lower leg.
His opponent temporarily stunned, Aeon took the opportunity and brought Shiro back to his feet with a blast of temporal light, "Outburst."
"Now Nuay!"
"Right!"
"Cross Thrust"
The pair pinned their now standing friend between their two sword thrusts, both coming to a halt infront of him after their strikes.
"Gambit!" cried Nuay, setting up the final blow from his team mate.
"A good friend taught me this but I never dreamed I'd ever have cause to use it," a sorrow behind Aeons words as he forcefully placed his right hand, bare, across Shiro's chest. A blast of light, curiously pink in colour, shot from his palm in a sphere as he whispered the attack's name. At this, the boy's shadow shattered and fell away from him, leaving him limp and unconscious in Nuay's arms.
Shiro was cured.[/COLLAPSE]
[COLLAPSE="Chapter 8"]“Is he alright?” Nuay asked, looking down at where his idol still lay.
“So long as I am here, the boy will be fine” came the tinman's ever-echoey reply.
Nuay was not reassured by this but fell into silence to avoid facing another bout of conflict. He would wait, semi-patiently, until Shiro arose. No matter how long it would take.
Hours passed. About three of them. He had left the house without breakfast and now Nuay was starving. His stomach grumbled and, reluctantly, he got to his feet. He didn't like it but his statuesque companion would have to stand watch for now. He needed food.
More hours passed and Nuay knew he wouldn't be able to make his way back to the clearing, even if his farther would let him. No, he would have to wait and hope for the best. Urgh! How agonising!
Yet more time drifted by, the sun's rays fading to an orange hue.
Finally, Shiro awoke, vague memories of happier days floating in his head. How he and Arla had laughed together, outside in the summer light, a thin layer of green grass covering what he assumed was their home town.
And then it passed. The cold, harsh present was with him again.
“Aaargh, my head!” Shiro winced in pain as a headache flashed through his skull.
“You're not going to lose it again are you?” came Aeon's distintive tones as he turned to face the young lad.
“Huh, no, I'm fine.”
“Good. You will need to recover further but, for now, there is something I must show you.”
Curious and nolonger blinded by hatred, Shiro followed his former foe even deeper into the woods. He didn't have to travel far though. Before him stood the tallest tree in the forest, its shadow having cleared a circle atleast its width again around it.
“Tell me, what do you see.”
“Umm... A really big tree?” he replied, unsure of what new odditty the armoured man was displaying.
“No, close your eyes. See with your mind.”
And he did. And what shiro beheld was a breathtaking sight.
Lights of every colour imaginable and perhaps even some that weren't, flowed in a seemless and never ending pattern, forming a perfect replica of the tree's shape in his head. Even the roots could be seen.
“Wow!”
“I hear you have atlast come to understand your gift,” the echoes subsiding somewhat to reveal traces of a deep and nearly human voice in Aeon, “These are the souls of all who have passed on from the village. Their mana is recycled and, in doing so, new life can be born.”
Shiro opened his eyes and stood in awe for a moment before voicing his query. “So, can everyone see spirits like this?”
“No, the gift of sight is possessed only by the purest of white souls. None but you can see what I have shown here.”
“Then how could you be so sure of my ability?”
“That is not something for you to know right now.” Aeon's words frustrasted Shiro but for a moment as all questions left his head when he heard the man's next comment, “what I can tell you is this: the tree remembers all who have had cause to visit Shiningleaf and I too, as its guardian, have a certain connection. Once you are well rested, you shall know the wereabouts of the one you seek.”
And with that, Aeon was gone.
Shiro made his way slowly back to Nuay's place where he proceeded to collapse, exausted onto the spare bed.[/COLLAPSE]
[COLLAPSE="Chapter 9"]Three days of constant training kept Shiro's impatience at bay while he waited for Aeon's message. Three days in which he turned the tables on Nuay entirely. The poor kid couldn't really keep up, despite his impressive display in the woods. Still, he was learning and, if he kept at it, perhaps he could find work aiding travellers one day.
On the forth morning after his visit to the tree of souls, Shiro awoke to find an envolope and small bag, addressed to him on the doorstep. The letter inside was not so much written as aged into the paper, with the old, yellowed text reading “Head to the marketplace, you will need a sword. She resides in a temple north of here and may soon need your help."
The bag clinked in his hand in the way that only coins do as he left the garden in accordance with Aeon's advice.
As luck would have it (or was it something more?), a travelling weapons merchant was in town. He dealt in bows, staves, greaves, axes and even some strange bladed rings known as 'chakrams' but, as they all did, this merchant specialised in swords.
Row upon row of them graced the top back of his stall, in plain view from any distance.
Some glowed from within, some snaked about in a wave-like shape, some were apparently made of dragons fangs, while others were unmistakably adamantine. Some were small, almost daggers, and others were larger than Shiro himself. There was one that looked to be just a hilt, one that could have been a giant squid and one that never seemed to take its solitary eye off him.
The sheer number of choices was overwhelming and it didn't help that one of the blades kept trying to talk itself up. Shiro didn't know what he wanted. Not one of these weapons seemed to suit his style and so he asked the stall owner if there was anything else. Something a little more plain perhaps? Something not worth putting on display.
There was only one. A family heirloom with which the merchant was reluctant to part.
It was perfect. Plain steel, celestially forged to a slightly bluish hue and with a twin bird motif across the hilt. Vedrfolnir was its name and Shiro offered his entire bag of cash for it.
There was no way he would agree to such an offer but, as a salesman, the guy figured he should atleast see exactly how much gald was on the table.
None.
“My god, is that?!” he exclaimed in shock, “no way, it can't be!”
But it was. Shiro's bag was filled with pure gold. A currency the world had not seen in centuries.
“H-how did you aquire this?”
“Does it matter? It's yours for that blade,” Shiro answered, unwilling to state its source.
“T-t-t-take it!”
And so he did. Vedrfolnir was his and Arla would be saved.
He was just beginning to walk away when something hit him on the back of the foot. It was one of Aeon's coins. In all his greedy hurry, the stallkeeper must have dropped it. Well, there was no sense letting it go to waste.
And so, when Shiro dropped in on Nuay to say goodbye, the family had all the food they'd need for a month.[/COLLAPSE]
[COLLAPSE="Chapter 10"]Coming soon.[/COLLAPSE]
<Insert witty footnote here.>
It was originally posted on the official Tales Series forums where it probably makes more sense to place it but I do not believe you need any real understanding of the games that inspired it to enjoy the story. Plus, I really don't like the crowd there.
[COLLAPSE="Chapter 1"]A pink glow.
He looked to the right. He looked to the left. All around was darkness save for that strange light infront of him. It felt soft and calming, despite the blinding intensity, and it seemed to be telling him something. Words, not heard but felt. "Wake up," they said and when the message sunk in, that was what he did.
"Thank goodness you're alright!"
This voice came from a girl. A companion of his. Her name was- wait, what was her name? He had no idea. Infact, there was little he could remember. "I was beginning to think you might not make it," she added. He didn't know what to say to this so he simply stood up in silence. From the look she gave him, it was clear that this wasn't the right response though. "Thanks," was all the reply he could manage at first but he quickly tacked on an "I'm fine now" for good measure.
With no memory of their time together, there was no way he could come up with anything more convincing. Fortunately for him, the awkward moment was cut short by the timely appearance of a monster from the bushes. Wait, a monster?! How was that good news? It was only a wolf. Little challenge at all for a skilled fighter but was he such a person?
Noticing his blank stare, the girl turned her head to speak to him. "What's the matter? Lost the will to fight?" Despite the mocking tone, her words hid real concern and the weight of the suggestion hit him hard. "N-no! I can fight!" He said without thinking. Of course he couldn't. Not in this state. For some reason though, he just couldn't tell her that. Who was this girl to him?
He quickly searched himself for a weapon. If he was a fighter he had to carry one surely? Seeing his struggle, she leapt to the most obvious conclusion, "Oh, you lost your sword when we fell from the tower? Don't worry, I can take care of this wimp all by myself!"
He was relieved by her confidence and interested in seeing her fight but his mind had other plans for him. At her words, memories came unbidden and he quickly lost touch with the world around him. He was falling. Air rushed past him. He could feel his hair caught in the breeze and his sword in his hand. His sword? It felt solid and metallic but there was no sign of any substance beneath its intense white light. As he neared the ground it seemed to fade before his eyes, taking on an almost ethereal feel. Suddenly, it shattered into shards of light, floating away on a wind that didn't match his motion. And finally, he hit. Everything went black. The pure dark black of nothingness surrounded him. It felt as if he'd lost contact with the physical world. Been engulfed by darkness and passed away. Was this what death was like?
Then things changed. The darkness parted from infront of him to reveal that same pink light. Calling him back. Back to reality.
She was standing infront of him when he finally regained awareness of his surrounding. "We'd better go look for that weapon of yours then Shiro," she suggested, annoyance at his daydreaming obvious in her speech.
Was that his name? It seemed unlikely. 'Shiro' was hardly a fitting name for a swordsman. It seemed too peaceful. Maybe it was short for something. He answered her bluntly, telling her all he knew.
"That won't help," was his reply, "it didn't fall, it vanished."
What this meant he wasn't certain but one thing was for sure, he wouldn't find it back there. They walked on towards a nearby village, her not willing to speak to him and him not knowing what to say to her. The silence was awkward but so was finding the words. Their journey continued this way for some time, until someone confronted them.
"Hey, Shiro, Arla."
Clearly that was his name but who was this guy?
"Ah, Yami, long time no see."
The guy was shady looking and no mistake but if she, Arla, trusted him, he clearly didn't pose any immediate threat. It would be best if he went along with things for now.
Yami was tall and skinny, almost snake like, with green eyes that sunk into his face, all squarish and shifty. His hair had no colour but nor was it grey. Rather, it was a pure white with streaks of black near the ends. How they had ever come to call someone who looked that untrustworthy a friend Shiro couldn't begin to imagine.
"What's up with Shiro?" the guy asked, smirking somewhat evilly.
"I'm not quite sure," Arla told him, "he's been like this since we were knocked from the tower. Perhaps it's merely the shock of losing the blessings he worked so hard to acquire."
"I see. So our friend here nolonger wields the holy blade." Yami laughed. Was his former companion really that pathetic? "That suits me just fine!"
Arla and Shiro looked on in shock and horror as the grin extended out past his face and the darkness of the abyss showed between his teeth. Black wings, radiating an evil energy like nothing Shiro had felt before, unfolded from Yami's shoulders and a sword, not unlike his own, materialised in the demon's grasp. For that is what Yami had become, his soul tainted black and his body nothing more than a shadow of his human past.
Shiro tried to defend himself, as there was no way he could run from the one person he could trust but, without a weapon, he was powerless. He went down with a single blow, falling into the depths of that internal void once more.
Everything was black.[/COLLAPSE]
[COLLAPSE="Chapter 2"]White.
It wasn't all black after all. A faint white light surrounded him, holding back the darkness. Faint and growing fainter all the time. Soon, or perhaps not so soon, his sense of time didn't work in this strange dimension, it would all be gone. And what would happen to him then? Was this void to be the end of him or would he simply wake up from it? Shiro had no way of knowing and, to be honest, he wasn't sure he wanted to know the fate that lay before him.
Whatever fate the darkness held in store, it was not to be. Not this time, anyway. The light burst out around him suddenly and Shiro found himself in the spare bed of someone's house.
Presumably he was now safely in the village. He hated to think what might have become of Arla but there was no point worrying about that now. First things first, he had to find a weapon and get out of here, making sure to thank the people that took care of him of course.
"Oh, you're up," exclaimed a man as he entered the room, "I'd almost given up hope." "My son tells me your the legendary 'Shiro'. If you're feeling up to it, you probably aught to go see him. Nuay's a big fan of yours and he'll only give you trouble if you don't"
"Legendary? You mean people know me in these parts?" Shiro leapt at the thought. Maybe one of the villagers could help him regain his memory.
"Yeah, you're that crazy guy climbing Holy Spire right?" the guy answered, dashing Shiro's hopes in an instant. "I tell you, you'll never make it, that thing goes up past the clouds even!"
It must have been some fall for them then. Shiro was hardly surprised he'd passed out from that but how had Arla come off so well? And thinking about it, why weren't they dead?
"Oh, I made it alright," Shiro told the man, suddenly feeling very proud of himself, "survived the fall back down aswell!"
And with these words he got up and left. Locating Nuay was a breeze. He'd never met anyone that noisy before in his life! Even without his memory, Shiro was sure of it.
As his father had said, the boy, clearly no older than ten, was definitely pleased to see him. "I knew you'd pull through Shiro, true heroes never die! How about some practice? I've studied all your moves!"
Flattered as he was, Shiro was more than a little taken aback by the lad's extreme eagerness. Still, if the boy knew him as well as he claimed, this was Shiro's best hope of recovery. He couldn't afford to turn down Nuay's offer. "Alright kid, you got a spare sword?" he inquired, "go a bit easy on me though, I've only just recovered and my head's still not quite right."
The boy's excitement was plain to see as tossed over the wooden katana. It soon faded however as, after flooring Shiro more than few times, he realised his hero wasn't all he'd hoped for.
"Come on, you can do better than that!" Nuay complained as he helped him up yet again, "put some effort into it!"
Shiro was beginning understand the basics of the moves but the kid's sweeping strikes and bizarre swordplay style just didn't make sense. What was the point when a quick jab would suffice? Had that really been how he had fought or was this kid exaggerating the attacks for show?
Hours later, when Shiro was worn out and sore all over, Nuay's father called them in for their evening meal. The dinnertime conversation was kept to a minimum and what was said was somewhat uninspired. The two boys were too tired to talk and it seemed the man of the house wasn't the type to enjoy idle chitchat either. His wife didn't join them at the table but Shiro didn't want to bring up painful memories if the woman had long since left their world so he didn't ask why.
Mealtime soon came to an end, leaving Shiro to make his gratitude known once more before hurriedly turning in for the night.[/COLLAPSE]
[COLLAPSE="Chapter 3"] Grey.
The sky was grey and foreboding as Shiro left the house.
A week had past since he'd first began training with Nuay and he'd learnt all that he could from the lad. Now that Shiro had fully recovered, Nuay's father had sent him shopping. Shiro wasn't exactly happy with the idea but he knew it was only fair that he earn his keep. After all, it wasn't really that big a deal.
As he walked out the garden and down towards the market place, Shiro couldn't help noticing the people around him. There was a fair bit of variety among them and for the first time since his recovery, Shiro began to wonder what he looked like.
The skin on his arm didn't glow in the rain so he clearly wasn't one of the sea people and it's pale peachy colour meant he wasn't from the stars either. His lack of fur or scales made it pretty obvious that he wasn't a child of the forest and his height was not that of the men of stone. He reached up to his ears and felt that they were round. He was not a descendant of the old race, he was a human.
For some reason, Shiro seemed pleased to discover this. He didn't really understand why. It meant he possessed neither might nor magic and lacked both the skill of the craftsmen and the telepathy of the celestials. There was no real advantage to being human but it did mean his race was shared with that of his companions, both old and new.
Speaking of companions, he had to find out what had happened to Arla. As soon as he knew where to look, he'd head off. For now, he was stuck in Nuay's house. It was a big world out there and it wouldn't help anyone if he got lost. Maybe one of the villagers would have some idea as to where she was likely to turn up.
The sky darkened as he went. Shiro hoped that it was merely the begging of a lightning storm but dark magic often had similar effects on the weather.
By this point he was some distance from the house. He would have a lot more chance of finding shelter in time if he made a quick dash for the marketplace. Shiro sped up his walking pace and soon reached the first of the stalls. Oddly there was no sign of lightning yet. Infact, there wasn't even any sign of the rain from before. All was quiet. The silence before the storm.
Well, if he was going to be out in a storm, atleast the grocery stall would provide shelter for him.
Shiro got to work picking out the vegetables Nuay's dad had ordered and reached into his pocket for the money. He paid the stall owner only to drop his purchase all over the ground as a voice from behind Startled him.
"Heheheh, I see you've grown careless, old friend."
It was Yami and he looked as if the darkness tainting him had grown even stronger than before.
Shiro whipped out his wooden blade, ignoring the food at his feet. He had no time for that now as Yami's dark sword was already raised to strike. This was it. It was time for Nuay's teachings to be put to the test.
Yami cackled his demonic laugh as the two traded blows, the seller looking on in horror all the while. After a few minutes, however, Shiro's sword began to crack and it was only moments before it became completely unusable. Yami stood over him, half gloating and half preparing for the final blow. The darkness seemed to seep from the air and into his blade. This was it.
Shiro's end was at hand.[/COLLAPSE]
[COLLAPSE="Chapter 4"]The darkness shattered around him and Shiro climbed to his feet, somewhat confused as to what had just happened. As he did so, a voice seemed to echo from every corner of the marketplace with no discernible source.
"So, you've come here looking for a fight have you? Well then, you'd better be prepared to fight me!"
As the last threads of that hateful black mist dissipated and the despair faded from his mind, Shiro noticed that one of Yami's wings was missing, a few small black tatters still hanging at his side. In the space it should have been stood a man, or atleast Shiro assumed it was a man. He(?) was so covered in armour that not even an inch of the person within was visible.
"What will it be then, foul demon? Prepared to meet your end?"
The voice rang out again and as it did so, Yami vanished, simply dissolving into the air. It had to have come from the armoured person as there was no one else but him in the marketplace. All the stall holders had closed up shop and fled during the fight.
Maybe it was just the armour that caused that strange echo or maybe there was more to it. Either way, the voice began to speak oncemore, this time to him.
"Shiro, I presume? I've waited a long time for our meeting."
"I don't mean to be ungrateful," Shiro responded, "but who are you and how do you know me?"
"Who I am is not important," the stranger's voice echoed back at him, "but if you seek a name for me, I am known round here as Aeon."
Shiro took a moment to think about how he should respond to this and came up blank. There were questions he needed to ask this 'Aeon', that much was clear, but he couldn't for the life of him think what they might be. Finally, the armoured man broke the silence.
"You should probably be heading back now, I expect they'll be worried about you," he said, before hastily adding on an invitation for another meeting, "When you can, meet me by the woods at the edge of the village."
Shiro agreed to meet Aeon there and thanked him for his help. He had no idea what Aeon might want with him and was still somewhat confused as to how this man new as much about him as he did but the guy would hardly have gone out of his way to save him if he'd wished him harm now would he?
And so Shiro headed back to Nuay's little hut.
Without the shopping.[/COLLAPSE]
[COLLAPSE="Chapter 5"]It took some time for Shiro to explain the mishap with the groceries and even longer for him to convince Nuay's dad to let him head out again.
It was around noon by the time he reached the meeting point and the midday sun reflected painfully off of Aeon's armour. This was weird. No time had been specified and yet the man was there, waiting for him as he arrived.
"Have you been stood here all morning on the off chance I'd show up?" Shiro inquired.
"Time is of no importance to me."
This was clearly a yes, if a strange one. He pondered over the exact meaning of the reply while he waited for Aeon to explain why he'd called him here. He waited for some time but no answer was forthcoming. Finally, growing rather impatient, Shiro decided he aught to speak up.
"You may have all day but I don't. What do you want with me?"
Aeon's reply was short and simple.
"It is more about what you want from me," he said, quickly adding in more detail, "I know the whereabouts of your friend, and a lot more besides." "First, however, you must prove to me that you can survive on your own."
So it was a fight he wanted? Why didn't he just say so?
"Lend me a sword and I'll more than prove my worth!"
Aeon led Shiro through the trees to a small clearing with an old, rusted sword embedded in the ground at its centre, moss and vines entwined about its base. The light was dim but the occasional flicker of sun through the trees still meant that Shiro's latest sparring partner shone brighter than he would have liked.
"There lies your weapon. It has waited many years for a worthy wielder and is rather the worse for wear," Aeon announced, in that otherworldly voice of his, "never the less, it shall serve more than adequately for your trial. I wouldn't recommend you keep it waiting much longer."
Without further prompting, Shiro drew the blade from its resting place and Aeon immediately turned on him. While Shiro had been prepared for the fight, such an unexpected opening still caught him off guard. He barely managed to raise his sword in time.
Despite his initial troubles and difficulty seeing his opponent's sword, Shiro soon recovered and they began trading blows. At this point neither of them could land a hit. Their strikes were well matched and cancelled out eachother perfectly. Noticing this, Aeon turned slightly to the side, reflecting a sunbeam right into Shiro's eyes. It was a dirty trick, he knew, but he had to be sure the kid was ready for anything and so he used the opening to step forward into a powerful jab attack. The words "Sonic Thrust" echoed through the forest as he knocked his pupil back. Shiro, in his moment of blindness, instinctively raised his sword for defence. It was thanks to this alone that he remained in the battle.
Sent flying through the air by the force of Aeon's attack, Shiro flipped himself upright just in time to land on his feet, cursing his foe as he did so. Clearly this battle wasn't restricted to the rules of fair play but he wasn't prepared to give up on honour just yet. No, he would beat this 'Aeon' and he would do it his way!
Shiro swept his sword through the dirt infront of him, building up force before letting go of a burst of energy, shot along the ground. "Demon Fang!"
Aeon sidestepped easily and mirrored this motion, so far as Shiro could tell anyway, calling his version "Psion Bolt".
There was something up with it though as the projectile energy simply vanished the instant it left his blade. Moments later, Shiro found out what as it hit him from behind and sent him to his knees.
Once again, Aeon took advantage of the moment of weakness, charging up to his opponent for another attack, this time only getting out a "Swor-" before Shiro countered with his "Tiger Blade", slashing up into the air and back down, without Nuay's little sword toss. That was simply impractical.
It broke through the first hit, took him over the top of several more and finally knocked the last hit straight downwards and into the ground. Rather impressive, even if he did say so himself.
This wasn't the end though, far from it. Aeon wasn't going to let him have an opening that easily. Aeon's sword began to glow white, finally becoming visible. Then the ground around it joined in.
Shiro jumped back quickly and just in time. A second later, the glow had spread out to form a barrier of light, covering the entire width of the glade.
"Backing off? I thought you were a warrior?"
Not succumbing to Aeon's taunts, despite his annoyance at the man's cheap tactics, he held his ground. Shiro tried his "Demon Fang" move oncemore but, while the sword held Aeon in place, the missile could not penetrate the barrier. It seemed he'd have to play into Aeon's hand and approach.
Shiro backed up a bit and ran at the foe. He needed speed for this to work. Within a few feet of the light wall, he leapt into the air and began the flurry of kicks that made up his "Swallow Dance".
Aeon saw this coming, raising his sword into the air, catching Shiro's final downward thrust as he did so and flipping the poor trainee onto his back infront of him. He hated doing this to Shiro and intentionally missed the second hit of his "Tiger Blade" but he knew it was for the kid's own good.
Shiro, on the other hand, didn't and arose right into another glowing wall. The force of that magical light was incredibly painful. Even though it left no mark, it felt like a thousand paper cuts, all happening simultaneously.
Shiro fell to the floor unconscious.
[/COLLAPSE]
[COLLAPSE="Chapter 6"]Shiro had been gone a long time and Nuay was worried. He grabbed the wooden training blade he kept by his bed and snuck off. Logic told him he'd never get anywhere without a real weapon but he'd never listened to reason before, why start now?
He ran all through the village, straight to the wooded outskirts where he knew his hero had been headed. At this point he realised that, not only did he have no idea where in the woods Shiro actually went, but he was rather out of breath to boot. Still, he had to keep going. For Shiro's sake.
Elsewhere, still in the clearing, the object of Nuay's concern was finally beginning to rise. He ached all over. It was a struggle just to stand.
Little by little, his vision started to clear. After that, it didn't take long for him to make sense of the large, silvered shape infront of him. Aeon had been watching him all this time.
AEON!
That <word here>! Everything that had happened up till now was his fault, Shiro was sure of it.
Suddenly and without warning, a burning pain shot through Shiro's mind, cutting off all thought and forcing him to his knees, head in hands. It quickly passed but the damage was done.
When Shiro got to his feet, he took his hands from his face, spreading a thick, dark mist into the air.
Aeon knew this fog well. It was the darkness that had enveloped Yami and now it was taking Shiro too? No, this couldn't be right. He knew how events were supposed to unwind. This never happened.
Even more worryingly, while it was hard to see through the mist, that red glow looked to be coming from his eyes.
"You <word here>! I won't be a part of your messed up games any longer!" Shiro shouted, lunging at his perceived foe with a sword that seemed to come from nowhere.
Still lost in the woods, Nuay wasn't making even the slightest progress in his search. It felt as if he'd been going round in circles for hours. He was tired and hungry and he could have sworn that tree was watching him. He wanted nothing more than to leave this place but nolonger even knew the way out.
There was nothing for it. Nuay's father had made it very clear that the wild ways were forbidden but there was little else he could do.
He called out in a tongue that few humans could comprehend and was quickly answered. Bounding through the trees came what he knew to be every lost adventure's best friend: a helpful little bush-baby.
At the young boy's request, the little creature hopped off through the wood, leading the way for him. It was hard work following it, what with Nuay being a lot larger, but he managed to keep up. Soon the forest began to thin and, just as it looked as if he was getting somewhere, the trees really did grow faces to stare at him disapprovingly.
"This is a sacred place."
"Wanderers are not welcome here."
Nuay could hear the clash of blades in the distance now and wasn't going to be dissuaded by these dryads, or whatever they were, no matter how frightened the bush-baby was. "I'm seeking a friend," he explained, "I don't know who or what you are but I haven't got time to waste on your warnings."
"A pity," came the reply, "one so young as yourself shouldn't throw their life away so easily."
And before he knew it, Nuay was surrounded by malicious spirits.
He drew his sword and clashed blades with them for a while. These clearly weren't trained swordsmen, even he could keep up with them.
"I told you, I don't have time for this," Nuay exclaimed, stabbing his sword straight through one of the spectres.
"Foolish mortal, we are not of the flesh like you."
"You cannot harm us."
"So what's to stop me doing this?" he asked, running straight through the masses of them. The answer to his question came quickly though. The harder he tried to get past, the more solid they became and the weaker he felt. His vision began to fade.
Finally, he fell to the ground, a pale, lifeless husk.
Back in the glade, Shiro and Aeon's battle was still raging on.
Fed up of merely trading blows, Shiro turned to artes in the hopes of ending things quickly. "Demon Fang," he yelled.
Something was up, Aeon knew it. Noone in their right mind would use that move up close. Unless...
He moved his sword up just in time to meet a wave of darkness, the resonance from which left him temporarily stunned.
"Sonic Thrust," Aeon's armour withstood the attack but again, he was unprepared for the dark force behind Shiro's assault and had to fall into a crouch to minimise the impact. Was that a skull he saw just then?
"And now, you end here!" Shiro announced, jumping into the air, sword raised for attack.
But Aeon wasn't going out so easily, oh no. "Ancient spirits, rid this place of darkness. Aegis Wall!" was the incantation accompanying his last attempt at survival. Again, he thrust his sword into the ground. Again, the holy light shot out. But it was no match for Shiro's new-found strength. The darkness consuming him tore straight through the wall, straight through his armour and right into Aeon's very being. He began to dissolve from the inside out.
But, this couldn't be. He was eternal. His existence transcended the confines of mortality. He wasn't even truly alive.
And so he faded away. Not into the nothingness that Shiro had intended but backwards in time instead. After all, he was in all times at once, a little trickery wasn't beyond his ability.[/COLLAPSE]
[COLLAPSE="Chapter 7"]Shiro had been gone a long time and Nuay was worried. He grabbed the wooden training blade he kept by his bed and snuck off. Logic told him he'd never get anywhere without a real weapon but he'd never listened to reason before, why start now?
He ran towards the woodland at the outskirts of the village but didn't get far before an armoured figure appeared before him.
AEON!
That <word here>! What had he done with Shiro?
"Fear not youngling, your idol is safe, for now atleast," came his ethereal voice, "but his future rests in your hands."
"No!" came the boy's response, "I will not let you take me aswell!" and he struck out at his perceived foe. "Demonic Tiger Blade!"
Aeon blocked the shockwave with ease and simply watched as Nuay's flashy swordwork failed to even come close.
"I have no time for this. Megasonic Thrust, Outburst, Yggdrassil Laser."
And it was over as quickly as that. In an instant, Aeon was behind the kid, sword catching him off guard and off balance during his landing, blasting him off the ground with an energy burst and launching him into a nearby building with the force of his final strike.
"Do you not understand? I could end your fleeting existence here if I so wished but Shiro's life hangs in the balance and even I cannot save him alone."
Begrudgingly, Nuay took the extended gauntlet and let the man help him up.
"Don't think this means I trust you."
"Your trust is not required, merely your cooperation."
Still in the clearing, Shiro was finally beginning to rise. Like his young fan, he ached all over. It was a struggle just to stand.
Little by little, his vision started to clear and after that, the memories came flooding back. Aeon had lured him into the woods and beaten him to a pulp. Yet, here he stood, not a scratch on him? What, was he not good enough for that masked madman? Was that it? Well Shiro would show him! Aeon would regret ever leaving him alive!
"AEON!!!!!"
That voice, echoing through the trees, held a great sense of relief for Nuay but in the warrior who carried him it invoked very different emotion. A combination of pity for the pure spirited teen and fear for what his corruption meant for the world.
Armour clanking as he ran, Aeon made his way through the woods at utmost speed, shaking his poor burden more than was fair but such things were secondary now, Shiro's madness had to be stopped at all costs. He barely even slowed to wave off the souls of the dead who protected the sacred grove.
They were there. Before them stood the fallen hero, hair held upwards by the black mist that flowed from all around him and eyes glowing red behind the darkness.
When Shiro got to his feet, he took his hands from his face, spreading dark mist into the air as he did so.
Before the obsidian blade could strike, Aeon set his companion down beside him.
"While his voice may be the same, this is not the Shiro you know. He has been taken by darkness, there is no reasoning with him."
And, as if on cue, the darkling infront of them lashed out.
"Ravaging Tiger!"
Distracted by his speech to Nuay, the eternal warrior was pushed back by the attack, though his armour held.
"Tiger Blade," came the little kid's eager response. He jumped into the air, his practice sword dragging him upward and missing the attacker entirely. The wood flew from his hands and twirled end over end while Nuay seemed to hover in place above the battlefield.
"Sonic Thrust," continued the impure saviour, lunging into that sorrowful Demon Attack Aeon had seen before. This time, however, no contact was made. The arte ended abruptly as the third combatant's strike landed across the back of Shiro's lower leg.
His opponent temporarily stunned, Aeon took the opportunity and brought Shiro back to his feet with a blast of temporal light, "Outburst."
"Now Nuay!"
"Right!"
"Cross Thrust"
The pair pinned their now standing friend between their two sword thrusts, both coming to a halt infront of him after their strikes.
"Gambit!" cried Nuay, setting up the final blow from his team mate.
"A good friend taught me this but I never dreamed I'd ever have cause to use it," a sorrow behind Aeons words as he forcefully placed his right hand, bare, across Shiro's chest. A blast of light, curiously pink in colour, shot from his palm in a sphere as he whispered the attack's name. At this, the boy's shadow shattered and fell away from him, leaving him limp and unconscious in Nuay's arms.
Shiro was cured.[/COLLAPSE]
[COLLAPSE="Chapter 8"]“Is he alright?” Nuay asked, looking down at where his idol still lay.
“So long as I am here, the boy will be fine” came the tinman's ever-echoey reply.
Nuay was not reassured by this but fell into silence to avoid facing another bout of conflict. He would wait, semi-patiently, until Shiro arose. No matter how long it would take.
Hours passed. About three of them. He had left the house without breakfast and now Nuay was starving. His stomach grumbled and, reluctantly, he got to his feet. He didn't like it but his statuesque companion would have to stand watch for now. He needed food.
More hours passed and Nuay knew he wouldn't be able to make his way back to the clearing, even if his farther would let him. No, he would have to wait and hope for the best. Urgh! How agonising!
Yet more time drifted by, the sun's rays fading to an orange hue.
Finally, Shiro awoke, vague memories of happier days floating in his head. How he and Arla had laughed together, outside in the summer light, a thin layer of green grass covering what he assumed was their home town.
And then it passed. The cold, harsh present was with him again.
“Aaargh, my head!” Shiro winced in pain as a headache flashed through his skull.
“You're not going to lose it again are you?” came Aeon's distintive tones as he turned to face the young lad.
“Huh, no, I'm fine.”
“Good. You will need to recover further but, for now, there is something I must show you.”
Curious and nolonger blinded by hatred, Shiro followed his former foe even deeper into the woods. He didn't have to travel far though. Before him stood the tallest tree in the forest, its shadow having cleared a circle atleast its width again around it.
“Tell me, what do you see.”
“Umm... A really big tree?” he replied, unsure of what new odditty the armoured man was displaying.
“No, close your eyes. See with your mind.”
And he did. And what shiro beheld was a breathtaking sight.
Lights of every colour imaginable and perhaps even some that weren't, flowed in a seemless and never ending pattern, forming a perfect replica of the tree's shape in his head. Even the roots could be seen.
“Wow!”
“I hear you have atlast come to understand your gift,” the echoes subsiding somewhat to reveal traces of a deep and nearly human voice in Aeon, “These are the souls of all who have passed on from the village. Their mana is recycled and, in doing so, new life can be born.”
Shiro opened his eyes and stood in awe for a moment before voicing his query. “So, can everyone see spirits like this?”
“No, the gift of sight is possessed only by the purest of white souls. None but you can see what I have shown here.”
“Then how could you be so sure of my ability?”
“That is not something for you to know right now.” Aeon's words frustrasted Shiro but for a moment as all questions left his head when he heard the man's next comment, “what I can tell you is this: the tree remembers all who have had cause to visit Shiningleaf and I too, as its guardian, have a certain connection. Once you are well rested, you shall know the wereabouts of the one you seek.”
And with that, Aeon was gone.
Shiro made his way slowly back to Nuay's place where he proceeded to collapse, exausted onto the spare bed.[/COLLAPSE]
[COLLAPSE="Chapter 9"]Three days of constant training kept Shiro's impatience at bay while he waited for Aeon's message. Three days in which he turned the tables on Nuay entirely. The poor kid couldn't really keep up, despite his impressive display in the woods. Still, he was learning and, if he kept at it, perhaps he could find work aiding travellers one day.
On the forth morning after his visit to the tree of souls, Shiro awoke to find an envolope and small bag, addressed to him on the doorstep. The letter inside was not so much written as aged into the paper, with the old, yellowed text reading “Head to the marketplace, you will need a sword. She resides in a temple north of here and may soon need your help."
The bag clinked in his hand in the way that only coins do as he left the garden in accordance with Aeon's advice.
As luck would have it (or was it something more?), a travelling weapons merchant was in town. He dealt in bows, staves, greaves, axes and even some strange bladed rings known as 'chakrams' but, as they all did, this merchant specialised in swords.
Row upon row of them graced the top back of his stall, in plain view from any distance.
Some glowed from within, some snaked about in a wave-like shape, some were apparently made of dragons fangs, while others were unmistakably adamantine. Some were small, almost daggers, and others were larger than Shiro himself. There was one that looked to be just a hilt, one that could have been a giant squid and one that never seemed to take its solitary eye off him.
The sheer number of choices was overwhelming and it didn't help that one of the blades kept trying to talk itself up. Shiro didn't know what he wanted. Not one of these weapons seemed to suit his style and so he asked the stall owner if there was anything else. Something a little more plain perhaps? Something not worth putting on display.
There was only one. A family heirloom with which the merchant was reluctant to part.
It was perfect. Plain steel, celestially forged to a slightly bluish hue and with a twin bird motif across the hilt. Vedrfolnir was its name and Shiro offered his entire bag of cash for it.
There was no way he would agree to such an offer but, as a salesman, the guy figured he should atleast see exactly how much gald was on the table.
None.
“My god, is that?!” he exclaimed in shock, “no way, it can't be!”
But it was. Shiro's bag was filled with pure gold. A currency the world had not seen in centuries.
“H-how did you aquire this?”
“Does it matter? It's yours for that blade,” Shiro answered, unwilling to state its source.
“T-t-t-take it!”
And so he did. Vedrfolnir was his and Arla would be saved.
He was just beginning to walk away when something hit him on the back of the foot. It was one of Aeon's coins. In all his greedy hurry, the stallkeeper must have dropped it. Well, there was no sense letting it go to waste.
And so, when Shiro dropped in on Nuay to say goodbye, the family had all the food they'd need for a month.[/COLLAPSE]
[COLLAPSE="Chapter 10"]Coming soon.[/COLLAPSE]
<Insert witty footnote here.>
